Chennaiyin FC retain Bernard Mendy

Chennai: Chennaiyin FC have retained French defender Bernard Mendy for the second season of the Hero Indian Super League football. Mendy was undoubtedly one of the best foreign players of the 2014 ISL and his bicycle kick strike in the home win over Kerala Blasters was one of the goals of the tournament.

Primarily a defender, the former PSG player was used in different positions at Chennaiyin FC last year and he also made contributions going forward. The Frenchman made 13 appearances for CFC in the inaugural ISL and his consistency also saw him earn a place in the team of the tournament.

The 34 year-old also captained Chennaiyin FC in five matches and became a real fan favourite among the Chennaiyin FC supporters, especially at the Marina Arena in Chennai.

Mendy, who has been capped four times for France at senior international level, was playing for AEL Limassol in the top tier of Cyprus after ISL 2014.

Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi said, "We are delighted to have retained Mendy for the second edition of the Hero Indian Super League. Mendy is a leader both on and off the pitch and provides us immense strength and quality. His experience and technical quality makes him a very important player in our squad."

Mendy stated, "Playing in the ISL for Chennaiyin FC was an unforgettable experience for me last year and I am excited at the prospect of getting to do it this time also. We narrowly missed out on reaching the final last year but this time I am determined to make Chennaiyin FC the ISL champions. We are all going to work very hard for the entire Chennaiyin FC faithful."